Thursday, February 18, 2010

I do have (honestly) to much fingering yarn. Currently I'm testing the possibility of using two strands of fingering yarn to get a DK/slightly thicker than DK alternative. If that works, the possibilities of using the yarn is that much bigger. Also then I can start kniting all those cabled jackets etc that I so much want to wear :).I've tested with sock. This time I've tried double Wollmeise in a stranded hat.

The chart for these ladies is an old russian chart.

Gauge: 21 stitches equals 10 cm AFTER washed and blocked. Note - when knitting the hat I was not sure that it would be big enough to fit my head. I did know that 100 stitches normally would be enough - but it was so thight. When finishing I thow the hat into the washing machine- While still wet I gave it quite a hard treatment and then "blocked" it on my head :). This morning when it was completely dry it did fit perfect.

Pattern notes: Casted on 100 st in waste yarn - provisional cast on. The waste yarn shall be frogged in a while. The reason for uing provisional cast on is to have an inside band making the hat thicker "around the ears" (I'm always cold there when it is dropping to far down below zero celcius and windy). You can of course eliminate that and start knitting directly on the chart.

However in both cases - the I-cord is needed to keep the hat in place and to make a smooth and nice "start".

Started knitting with Ebenholz held duble on needle 3.75.

Knit 11 rounds. Purl 1 round.On next round start chart and at the same time change to needle 4. Knit until you reaches the round wherein the “leg” of the ladies are finished.

NOW take out the provisional cast on and place all stiches that now star living again on another needle. Turn this needle inside and held it together with the main needle. On next round, when you start knitting the skirt, take one stitch from each needle. NOTE the brown yarn have to travel rather a long way. What I did do was to make that travel “inside of the folded part to avoid having long strands. Another possibility is to make sure to twist a lot.

Continue with chart as it comes. However at the top I didn’t make the last red star but continued alternating the colors as I thought it would be a little over the top.

The decreases is made as indicated on the chart. Note that the first decrease is made by knittin two together - knit the stitch that shall be decreased together with the next one IN the color of the next one.On next round - no decrease.Thereafter - on every second round - Knit till you reach the stitch before the two one in same color, ssk and k2together - both in the color of the prevous - next stitch respectively - i.e. you decrease 2 for each subsection.

The last decrease I made I did make a sssk and the whole round was knitted in brown/black.

Add an I-cord. The purl round is on the edge of the hat. I wanted to add red. What I did was to pick up one stitch per loop in the purl round. (100 loops). It is easier to pick up if you use smaller needles I used needle 2.5.Then with a separate needle 3.5 cast on 3 stitches and knit 2 st. The 3rd is knitted together with the first stitch from the “loop-stitches”. Set all three stitches back on the 2.5 needle and start again knitting stitch 1 with the 3.5 needle. Knit 1 and 2, and 3 together with the next loop stitch. Put bak again. Cont. till all loop stitches are off the needle. Stitch together with kitchner stitch. Note when you start knitting the first stitch, make sure to slightly pull(?) your yarn to make the I-cord nice and smooth and not to big.